Sheltered By The Cowboy

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Butch looked as if he might protest and then smiled with a shrug of his shoulders. “It doesn’t matter whether she knows it or not. According to her I’m just an ordinary toad and not the prince she’s waiting for. It’s easy to be crazy about Mandy, but all I want for her is happiness, and right now you seem to be making her happy.”

Brody didn’t have a chance to tell Butch that it wasn’t like that, for at that moment Daisy flew back into the kitchen carrying a large salad bowl. “Here we go,” she said.

As Butch continued to fill his plate, Brody moved to the doorway between the kitchen and the family room. The recliner chair where George had been killed had been moved out after Dillon released the house as a crime scene.

Dillon and Cassie sat in straight-backed chairs and Mandy and Graham sat next to each other on the sofa. Graham was telling them about his life in Texas, where he worked as an accountant for a large financial firm.

“I’d stayed in touch with Zeke Osmond over the years, and he called me the minute he heard that my dad was dead,” Graham said, a fact that didn’t do anything to endear the man to Brody. Zeke worked for Raymond Humes and had long been suspected of being part of the nuisance fires, the stolen cattle and other crimes that had taken place on the Holiday Ranch.

“I can’t believe Zeke knew where you were all this time and didn’t tell me,” Mandy replied.

“I asked him to keep it a secret until I felt like it was time to come back here and see Dad and you in person,” Graham replied.

Mandy’s eyes sparkled and despite the somber black dress she wore, she looked beautiful. The last few days had been more difficult for him than he’d ever expected.

While Mandy had grieved, he had lusted. The scent of her stirred him like no other, and no matter what she wore he found her sexy as hell. This wasn’t the way a friendship was supposed to work.

The minute he’d provided her an alibi to Dillon, Brody had known that he’d thrown himself into a relationship with her, at least until her father’s murder was solved.

Maybe now that Graham was back in her life Mandy wouldn’t care if Brody distanced himself from her. Maybe she’d stop calling him late in the evenings just to say good-night. This might be his opportunity to step away from her.

And he needed to step away from her. He’d started looking forward to her good-night calls. He dreamed of capturing her lips with his, of stroking her naked curves and more. He didn’t want or need anyone in his life, especially a woman who was looking for her prince. He was definitely no prince.

“Where were you on the night your father was murdered?” Dillon leaned forward in his chair.

Graham smiled. He had a smile just like Mandy’s...wide and warm. “I was at a company Christmas party. I’ll be happy to give you names of people who were there with me and will corroborate that I attended.”

“And after the party ended?” Dillon’s expression was pleasant enough but his gray eyes were hard and cold. Those same cold eyes had been directed at Brody when Dillon believed one of the Holiday Ranch cowboys was guilty of murder.

“The party didn’t break up until after one or so and then I went to my fiancée’s apartment and spent the night there,” Graham replied.

“I can’t believe you’d think he’s guilty of anything,” Mandy said to Dillon with a touch of outrage.

“Honey, now isn’t the time or the place,” Cassie said softly to Dillon.

“Of course,” Dillon replied and sat back in his chair. “But I would like to speak to you later,” he added to Graham.

“I’ll be glad to,” Graham replied.

Butch and some of the others left and eventually everyone else got up, filled a plate and found places to sit at the table. The talk turned to what Mandy intended to do with the property.

“I need to clean out everything. I’ll donate Dad’s clothes and the furniture, and then I’m going to sell.” She looked at her brother seated next to her. “I’ll split everything fifty-fifty with you, Graham.”

“I don’t need your money, Mandy,” he replied. “I’ve done pretty well for myself. Besides, that’s not why I came back here.”

“Why did you come back?” The words blurted out of Brody.

Graham frowned. “I came back because not a day went by that I didn’t think about my little sister.” He gazed at Mandy. “I was always sorry that I left you behind, but we were both so young.” He looked at Brody. “When I heard about the murder, I knew I needed to see Mandy and make sure she was okay.”

Mandy reached across the table and grabbed one of his hands. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters other than you’re here now.”

“I’m here until just after the first of the year, and then I need to get back to my job and my life in Dallas,” he replied.

“And I can’t wait to hear all about your life in Dallas,” Mandy replied.

Brody glanced at his watch. The day was fading away and he needed to leave. He had someplace he had to be in thirty minutes.

“Mandy, I need to head out,” he said.

She jumped up from the table. “Okay, I’ll walk you out.”

She grabbed her coat from the hall tree and shrugged it on. Together they walked out into the fading light of day. “Brody, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done to support me over the last couple of days.”

“It was my pleasure,” he replied.

“I really don’t know what I would have done without you.” They reached his truck’s driver’s door and she gazed up at him with her gorgeous dark-lashed eyes. “You aren’t going to stop being my friend just because I have a brother now, are you?”

Although that was exactly what he’d intended to do, there was no way he could look into her soulful eyes and tell her that...especially not today of all days. “Of course not,” he replied.

She grinned, suddenly threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips firmly against his cheek. His body immediately responded to her body so close to his and to the warmth of her lips against his skin.

“What’s that for?” he asked gruffly as she released her hold on him.

“That’s for being the best friend I could ever ask for,” she replied. “I’ll call you later?”

“Sounds good,” he said.

He watched while she hurried back into the house. Adrenaline still whipped through him. He needed to lift a car or cut down a tree or do something physical to rid himself of the unwanted surge of desire inside him.

He got into his truck and pulled away from the Wright place, grateful that he was on his way to spend some time with Ellie.

Chapter 5 (#ubf8d1cbe-b218-5df4-88b5-c52aea6ecee4)

Mandy released a sigh that blew a strand of hair away from her face. She placed a box of books next to the doorway in her father’s bedroom and then looked up at her brother, who was emptying dresser drawers.

“I think we need to take a break,” she said. They had been working nonstop for the past two hours, ever since Mandy had gotten off work at the café.

Graham stopped working and sank down on the edge of the bed. “The last time I was in this room it was Mother’s sewing room,” he said.

“Dad moved down here about a month after you left. I think he couldn’t stand being in the master bedroom upstairs without Mom.”

She scanned the small room. “At least we’ve made some progress tonight.”

“Actually, I’m going to take off in just a few minutes. It’s getting late and I’m supposed to meet Zack and a couple of other guys at the Watering Hole for drinks in about fifteen minutes.”